By John Lee.
The Minister of Transport, Wahab Al-Hussni, received the Spanish Ambassador, Alicia Rico, in Baghdad in what was described as her first official meeting with an Iraqi minister in the current government, following her earlier meeting with the Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi.
The discussions focused on the Basra-Shalamcheh railway project, which has been awarded to Spain's Imathia Group, and which is currently facing a number of operational constraints identified during a recent field visit by the Minister to Basra.
According to the Ministry of Transport, Al-Hussni instructed coordination with the Governor of Basra to address outstanding issues, including the removal of encroachments on land designated for the project.
He also directed relevant departmental units within the Ministry to introduce additional facilitation measures related to contractual implementation, aimed at accelerating project delivery timelines.
The Minister said the project represents the first railway initiative in Iraq involving a Spanish contractor in this sector, describing it as a pilot experience that could expand bilateral cooperation in future infrastructure schemes.
Ambassador Alicia Rico expressed satisfaction with the meeting and welcomed the minister's direct instructions to remove administrative and logistical obstacles, describing them as a positive signal for successful project implementation.
She added that the Spanish contractor will demonstrate strong commitment to delivering the project to a high standard, forming the basis for broader future cooperation between the two countries.
(Source: Ministry of Transport)
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